More regulators have stepped into the Facebook facial-recognition controversy, with Connecticut's attorney general asking that the social-networking site meet with his staff to discuss the "Tag Suggestions" feature.
"In Facebook's desire to promote photo sharing and tagging among its users, it appears to have overlooked a critical component of consumer privacy protection—an opt-in requiring users to affirmatively consent" before Facebook can use those images, Attorney General George Jepsen wrote in a Tuesday letter to Facebook.
Jepsen is requesting a meeting "as soon as possible" to discuss the issue.
Back in December, Facebook announced plans for facial-recognition technology intended to make it easier for people to tag photos of friends. Facebook said it would examine newly uploaded photos and compare them to other photos in which you or your friends are tagged in order to make tagging suggestions. Earlier this month, however, security firm Sophos expressed concern that facial recognition had been turned on by default. Users must go in and disable the service if they do not want to show up as "suggested tags" in their friends' photos.
Facebook acknowledged that it should have been more communicative about the service, but has not announced plans to alter the feature.
"We should have been more clear with people during the roll-out process when this became available to them," a Facebook spokesman said recently.
Making Tag Suggestions opt-out is "troubling" because it could expose users to unwelcome attention and loss of privacy, Jepsen said. "Consumers must be aware that the digital images of their faces are being coupled by Facebook technology with personal information in their Facebook profiles."
The controversy prompted the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) to join with the Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Watchdog, and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, arguing that the facial-recognition software is "unfair and deceptive." U.S., Rep. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, expressed support for the EPIC filing.
Several European data protection officials, including those in the U.K. and Ireland, have also said they are investigating the technology.
The Connecticut AG's office, meanwhile, is no stranger to tech issues. Jepsen's predecessor, now Sen. Richard Blumenthal, also tangled with the industry, most notably with Google over its Wi-Fi sniffing controversy and Craigslist over the now-defunct Erotic Services. Now in the Senate, Blumenthal has also tackled the Sony PlayStation hack and Apple's iPhone tracking, co-sponsoring a bill with Sen. Al Franken.